Megan Malone started pulling out her hair when she was seven-years-old, an uncontrollable urge she faced due to a known compulsive disorder, trichotillomania or trich, reported BBC.
The 14-year-old from Coventry, England had been suffering the illness for two years until therapist Alison Scobbie cured her in three months of therapy sessions.
“When I was stressed out or angry I would just pull chunks [of hair] out. I didn’t like what I was doing. It’s just that I couldn’t stop. I knew that I was addicted to it,” recalled Megan.
Once an avid swimmer and dancer, Megan’s social anxieties stopped her from continuing these activities.
Scobbie explained, social media plays a role in causing anxieties and ‘social pressure’ to children and teenagers, who as a result suffer from trich.
Megan was able to recover when she built her self-esteem up. “The key was her understanding her thinking and how she generated that anxiety,” noted Scobbie.
Megan’s hair eventually grew back and she celebrated with a trip to the hairdresser in London. “I’m really happy. I’ve started swimming again. I love swimming” the teenager told BBC.
Most prevalent among children, Trichotillomania affects about 2% of the UK population.
